Notes from my Knapsack 4-9-2026
Jeff Gill
History continues to be made in Licking County
___
As a church historian, I have noticed over the "internet era" a trend on local church websites that saddens me more than a bit.
In the late 1990s on early congregational websites, and on into the early 2000s, you would almost inevitably see a tab "Our History." This was common, even standard.
Today, you may or may not find such information. If there's an "About Us" tab you might find a short church history note in the drop-down menu, but just as likely you will not. Obviously, the growth of new non-denominational churches feeds this trend, since they just started a few years back — and there's a whole additional story there about how even denominationally supported new church starts will bury their affiliation deep in a website if it's there at all.
One reason given for this is market driven, if not seeker sensitive per se: people don't care. Years ago people moved to a town and looked for "their" church, regardless of other factors; today, it's more likely families are looking for programs and worship styles which meet their needs, regardless of affiliation or even theology. History is not a connection for many.
Obviously, I have a different take on this. I try to be cautious, because what I like is not to everyone's taste, and I'm told occasionally I am wrong about some things. But I think history is woven into our tastes and instincts and interests in ways that go beyond the trends of the moment.
2026 is in theory a great year for people like me. It's America 250, with a peak around the Fourth of July, marking 250 years since the Declaration of Independence and our nation's founding, and many events have already taken place, with more to come even after July. In Granville, I'm doing a pair of programs in June I'll come back to next month about our history as a country and community around parks and the outdoors; in August, there's going to be a grand picnic event in Our Fayre Village. And on into the fall…
On the radio, some of you have heard me talking about a series of twenty-five historical figures in Licking County history. They range from the 1770s to the near-present, women and men, different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, some celebrities in their own right and others a surprise to even those who've lived here their whole lives.
The full list (in roughly chronological order): Rev. David Jones, Catherine Stadden, William Stanbery, Archbishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy, William Hollister, Israel Dille, Jackson Shackleford, Thomas D. Jones, Johnny Clem, Gen. Charles Griffin, Edward Roye, Victoria Woodhull, William Woods, Mary Hartwell Catherwood, Reinhard Scheidler, Gertrude Dorsey Brown, Eli Hull, Augustus Heisey, Ellen Hayes, Bertie Burr Dawes, Jerrie Mock, Eleanor S. Weiant, Games Slayter, Dave Longaberger, Wayne Newton.
The challenge was to sum up a significant life in our county history in brief. They're one minute spots, but my part is forty seconds long for each. My hope is there's enough to make some of you want to go look up a bit more on your own.
Because all of these people tell us something about who we are. Not just who they were, but what we are trying to become as a nation, a county, a person in our own time. I would have loved to add a few dozen more, but these are a good start.
Jeff Gill is a writer, storyteller, and preacher in central Ohio; he's a bit of a historian on a good day. Tell him which one intrigues you at knapsack77@gmail.com, or follow @Knapsack on X.
Jeff Gill
History continues to be made in Licking County
___
As a church historian, I have noticed over the "internet era" a trend on local church websites that saddens me more than a bit.
In the late 1990s on early congregational websites, and on into the early 2000s, you would almost inevitably see a tab "Our History." This was common, even standard.
Today, you may or may not find such information. If there's an "About Us" tab you might find a short church history note in the drop-down menu, but just as likely you will not. Obviously, the growth of new non-denominational churches feeds this trend, since they just started a few years back — and there's a whole additional story there about how even denominationally supported new church starts will bury their affiliation deep in a website if it's there at all.
One reason given for this is market driven, if not seeker sensitive per se: people don't care. Years ago people moved to a town and looked for "their" church, regardless of other factors; today, it's more likely families are looking for programs and worship styles which meet their needs, regardless of affiliation or even theology. History is not a connection for many.
Obviously, I have a different take on this. I try to be cautious, because what I like is not to everyone's taste, and I'm told occasionally I am wrong about some things. But I think history is woven into our tastes and instincts and interests in ways that go beyond the trends of the moment.
2026 is in theory a great year for people like me. It's America 250, with a peak around the Fourth of July, marking 250 years since the Declaration of Independence and our nation's founding, and many events have already taken place, with more to come even after July. In Granville, I'm doing a pair of programs in June I'll come back to next month about our history as a country and community around parks and the outdoors; in August, there's going to be a grand picnic event in Our Fayre Village. And on into the fall…
On the radio, some of you have heard me talking about a series of twenty-five historical figures in Licking County history. They range from the 1770s to the near-present, women and men, different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, some celebrities in their own right and others a surprise to even those who've lived here their whole lives.
The full list (in roughly chronological order): Rev. David Jones, Catherine Stadden, William Stanbery, Archbishop Jean-Baptiste Lamy, William Hollister, Israel Dille, Jackson Shackleford, Thomas D. Jones, Johnny Clem, Gen. Charles Griffin, Edward Roye, Victoria Woodhull, William Woods, Mary Hartwell Catherwood, Reinhard Scheidler, Gertrude Dorsey Brown, Eli Hull, Augustus Heisey, Ellen Hayes, Bertie Burr Dawes, Jerrie Mock, Eleanor S. Weiant, Games Slayter, Dave Longaberger, Wayne Newton.
The challenge was to sum up a significant life in our county history in brief. They're one minute spots, but my part is forty seconds long for each. My hope is there's enough to make some of you want to go look up a bit more on your own.
Because all of these people tell us something about who we are. Not just who they were, but what we are trying to become as a nation, a county, a person in our own time. I would have loved to add a few dozen more, but these are a good start.
Jeff Gill is a writer, storyteller, and preacher in central Ohio; he's a bit of a historian on a good day. Tell him which one intrigues you at knapsack77@gmail.com, or follow @Knapsack on X.
